5 Things to Know About IV Rehydration and Vitamin Infusions

 

If you've been at a large public event like a triathlon or marathon recently, you may have noticed booths set up to provide athletes with IV infusions, promising fast rehydration or immune-boosting properties from vitamin infusions. Some nutritionists and naturopathic doctors are also prescribing vitamin infusions via IV on a regular basis. But should your young athlete be considering an IV infusion? 

Here, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s (USADA) Director of Science, Laura Lewis, PhD, shares what parents and caregivers need to know about IV infusions for young athletes. 

Common Use Cases for an IV Infusion 

Historically, IVs in sport have been used to quickly rehydrate an athlete who has shed water weight in order to hit a certain weight standard for their sport. With weigh-ins happening close to competition, Lewis notes it may appear that using IVs to rehydrate is the most effective way to get competition ready after having cut a significant amount of weight by losing water via sweat. However, this kind of IV use is strictly prohibited by anti-doping agencies like USADA and the World Anti-Doping Agency. 

"People were really pushing the envelope of being much bigger than their weight class, then having to drop a lot of weight," explains Lewis. "They were losing most of that weight as water and getting severely dehydrated to make weight. After the weigh-in, they wouldn't have time to rehydrate just by drinking, so people started using IVs. But if you can't make weight without doing these drastic and potentially dangerous weight loss protocols, you are likely not competing in the right weight category for you." 

When it comes to rehydration, it’s also important to note that the American College of Sports Medicine consensus guidelines state, “IV fluids do not provide an advantage over drinking oral fluids and electrolytes.” Normal rehydration can be achieved in the vast majority of individuals by drinking and eating normal beverages, such as sports drinks and water, and meals. Various sports and athletic organizations such as the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the National Athletics Trainers’ Association (NATA), and others have informative resources to educate on best practices for fluid replacement in athletes. 

The most common use case around IVs is for athletes who have clinically low iron levels. Often, these athletes will be prescribed an IV to rapidly boost iron stores. This can be done in compliance with anti-doping rules by securing a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) or by limiting the amount to ensure that the total volume of fluid administered is within the rules. For any athletes subject to anti-doping rules, it's important to let the doctor know that the athlete needs to adhere to USADA rules around IV usage, since the doctor can adjust the amount of IV fluid used when administering the iron IV drip.